Thursday, October 25, 2018

Now that I got the hang of GitHub with Bingo Master Board, I'm migrating my older projects to their own repos. I begin with Escape a Tower, as I recently got the urge to work on it.

This means:

You can view development commits. Previously, any update I upload would become live on the Web. Now I can commit changes without making it live. This helps me recover my code if anything happens, and you get to see my work in progress!

You can watch the project. If you have a GitHub account, you can watch Escape a Tower to receive emails whenever I release new updates.

You can star the project. If you really like the game, you now have the ability to star it on GitHub.

You can more easily report game issues on GitHub with the Issues page.

To get things started, I posted Escape a Tower version 2.4.3. This minor update:

Corrects grammatical errors

Updates links to Games by Tim

Removes deprecated appcache

As mentioned in the GitHub Releases page, a more substantial update (version 2.5) is coming soon. Keep an eye for commits in the Develop branch!

Monday, September 17, 2018

It's completely rewritten for Web. It gains features I could've only dreamed for in PowerPoint. It merges two projects into one. It's Bingo Master Board, reborn!

Why version 3.0?

You may be wondering why I'm using version 3.0 instead of 1.0 for the Web release. Here's my logic:

The original Bingo Master Board uses version 1.x.

Bingo Master Board PLUS uses version 2.x.

Since the Web releases merges the two PowerPoint versions into one, it made more sense to continue counting up the version number than to start over with 1.0 (implying this is something separate).

Benefits of the Web compared to PowerPoint

Vastly more accessible. No need to own paid software, and for the first time, Bingo Master Board could run on devices like the iPad.

No downloads necessary. Just click the link to play.

No more macro security warnings.

No more weird PowerPoint frustrations, such as force-redirection to the first slide after five minutes of inactivity.

Ability to add features not possible in PowerPoint. The rest of the release notes will focus heavily on this.

Version 3.0's new features

(from Bingo Master Board PLUS)

Naturally, a complete rewrite would have numerous changes. Let's get started, shall we?

Onboarding

When you load Bingo Master Board for the first time, you'll see a Welcome page that introduces you to the project. This is known as onboarding, which you may have seen before with other apps. I'm proud one of my projects finally has it.

Title page

Once you click Begin, you'll find the brand new title page.

Quite different from Bingo Master Board PLUS, would you say?

Aside from the new Bingo roller backdrop and the fullscreen button, you may notice two other changes:

Mouseover effects. Hovering over clickable buttons now changes their colors. This makes the UI more expressive, and it wouldn't have been possible with PowerPoint.

The fonts have changed from Britannic Bold/Calibri to Arya/Open Sans. This is because Britannic Bold and Calibri are not free to distribute online, and I think the new font combination looks more modern anyway.

How to Use page

The How to Use page has been overhauled. There are now four sections: one for the essentials, one for the extras, one for tips and tricks, and one for additional links.

Note that you can use your arrow keys to navigate the sections. This is an example of a keyboard shortcut, which will become important for the next page. Once again, this wouldn't have been possible with PowerPoint.

The Master Board page

This is the new master board:

and this was the old one:

The Bingo balls look more three-dimensional and ball-like. That's because I've added circular radial gradients to the balls.

The big Bingo ball is bigger so it's easier to read.

The balls drawn/remaining pop-up is bigger so it's also easier to read.

The balls drawn count is now shown by default.

Master Board keyboard shortcuts

I've added a bunch of keyboard shortcuts here to make the master board experience a lot more efficient. For instance, try drawing Bingo balls with the space bar, and try resetting the board with the r key.

Other keyboard shortcuts can be found in the How to Use page.

Themes page

The Themes page has an additional option to change the look of the Bingo numbers. If you preferred how the Bingo numbers looked from the original Bingo Master Board, you're going to like this.

Friday, September 14, 2018

This commit adds a bunch of keyboard shortcuts. Brace yourself; it's a nice, long list.

In the master board page:

B, I, N, G, O - Hide/show respective Bingo letters

H - Go to the title page

T - Go to the Themes page

V - Toggle balls drawn/remaining counter

W - Go the the Winning Pattern page

In the Themes/Winning Pattern pages:

T (Themes), W (Winning Pattern), or Enter - Go back to master boardAfter you use the keyboard shortcut, leave your finger on that key while your other hand uses the mouse. When you're done with the page, you can simply press the key with your finger instead of moving your cursor to "Go Back."

In the title page:

Enter - Go to master board

In any page:

F - Toggle fullscreen

I hope these extra keyboard shortcuts enhance your Bingo Master Board experience. As far as I know, there is no simple way to have keyboard control in PowerPoint.

In addition:

Pressing and holding the spacebar no longer draws balls repeatedly.

Refreshing the page with Control-R no longer resets your Bingo balls.

In Safari, using the keyboard in fullscreen no longer triggers an alert sound.

UPDATE: Turns out this commit introduced a bug that prevents refreshing with Control-R for some browsers. I'll do my best to prepare a hotfix.

UPDATE 2: You should be able to refresh again. The Safari alert sound is back, but at least it only happens when holding a key. I'm satisfied for now.

Last night, I dreamed about being submerged in a pile of Bingo balls. I'm probably going restless about this project, but I can't stop now. The stable release is getting close!

Here's what I got for today's commit.

The winning pattern is back.

It works just like Bingo Master Board PLUS with a few differences:

The Bingo card in the slide page is on the left side. I changed this so you don't have to move your cursor as much to edit the winning pattern.

You get a nice fade effect when editing the winning pattern.

Show number of drawn Bingo balls by default

Now that I've ported every feature from Bingo Master Board PLUS, it's time for me to work on the instructions, credits, and refinements. Expect the commit rate to increase as I grow increasingly anxious about finishing the project!

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Renames the Yellow theme to Classic (just like Bingo Master Board for Web)

Updates links to Games by Tim

Bingo Master Board PLUS Version 2.2

Minor UI improvements

Adds a home button to the master board (backport from Bingo Master Board for Web)

Adds macro checking

Renames the Yellow theme to Classic

Changes the license to the more permissive Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Some rewording in the How to Use slide

Re-credits Hugh J. Ward as the creator of 75-ball Bingo

Adds promotional slide for Bingo Master Board for Web

Updates links to Games by Tim

HEADS UP!

Bingo Master Board for Web will soon replace Bingo Master Board (PowerPoint) and Bingo Master Board PLUS. The new Web version will have all the features of Bingo Master Board PLUS, along with some not possible with PowerPoint. You can try the work-in-progress build here.

As such, Bingo Master Board (PowerPoint) and Bingo Master Board PLUS are now in maintenance mode, which means I'll only release bug fixes if necessary. Once Bingo Master Board for Web gets a stable release, both PowerPoint projects will officially be discontinued.

It turns out there are different ways to generate seemingly random numbers. PowerPoint VBA's Randomize/rnd and JavaScript's math.random()
can generate numbers efficiently, but they are NOT cryptographically
secure. This means that someone skilled enough could predict what
numbers will be generated.

For a Bingo game with tangible prizes, this poses a problem.

Enter crypto-random,
a method to generate random numbers using the Web crypto API. Along
with using a more advanced algorithm, crypto-random bases its randomness
on your computer's voltage, cursor movements, keyboard timings, and
much more. This makes guessing the next random numbers incredibly
difficult, if not impossible.

I hope this change helps you feel
more comfortable using Bingo Master Board in a competitive environment.
Remember that you can check the new code on GitHub to your satisfaction.

Hi there. Welcome to my site, Games by Tim! Formerly known as Tim's Slideshow Games.

A name change?

That's right! Games by Tim is my site's new name, and I look forward to using it. It's not easy to commit to a new name, but I'm confident this will benefit the site in the long run.

When I launched this site back in 2011, I focused on PowerPoint games, which I referred to as "slideshow games." Thus, I used the name Tim's Slideshow Games. Now that I'm transitioning from PowerPoint to HTML5 games, keeping the "slideshow" in the name doesn't make as much sense.

Meanwhile, I wanted to buy a domain name for this site. I could have registered slideshowgames.com, but I thought to myself, "is this name still worth keeping?" After all, real money was on the line. The calling was there; time for a new name.

Why Games by Tim?

Glad you asked. A new name isn't something to take lightly, so rest assured; I thought this one out.

Most people remember this site by my name.

When I talk to others about my site, they seem to remember the "Tim" part more than the "Slideshow Games." Fairly often, I'd hear something like, "Oh yeah, I remember the games Tim made. What was the site called again? Slide what?"

While this is by no means scientific, I have a feeling the "slideshow" flies past most people's heads. Quite troubling if the site URL is slideshowgames.blogspot.com. By placing my name front and square, I believe more people will recall how to refer to my site.

Less characters in the name

The URL "slideshowgames.com" takes 18 characters to type. "gamesbytim.com" on the other hand takes 14 characters. The less typing the better.

Less characters also means I have more flexibility with my logo. If I'm in a tight situation, I could safely display the logo as two lines:

It represents me better.

My name is Tim. I make games. Here are games by me. It's that simple.

What's happening to this site?

First off, the new URL is gamesbytim.com. slideshowgames.blogspot.com should redirect for now, but I highly recommend you change your bookmarks/attributions. That's because if, hypothetically, I migrate away from Blogger, gamesbytim.com will be my only way to take people to the new site.

I will need to replace the Tim's Slideshow Games references with Games by Tim throughout the site and my active projects. This will take some time, so bear with me.

Since I have a domain name, there's a chance I'll be able to put a contact email here. I haven't fully researched this yet, so no guarantees. I'll post a blog update if I get this to work.

Other than that, things will continue as usual. So I hope you enjoy your stay at Tim's Slideshow Games Games by Tim!

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

I recently returned from Make School Summer Academy, a 6-week program where I learned more about Web development. Along with building team and personal projects (which I'll probably share here later), I learned about some nifty Web concepts.

Who knew:

JavaScript evolved a lot since I first learned it (ES6),

there's an easy way to vertically align objects (flexbox),

fractional units exist (CSS grid),

and CSS itself can scale things (CSS transform)?

Essentially, these concepts made me realize, how can I use these to rewrite Bingo Master Board?

Thursday, June 28, 2018

UPDATE (8/31): Version 4.1.1 updates the links to the new site name: Games by Tim.
Time for another Wheel of Fortune for PowerPoint release!

Version 4.1 primarily focuses on refinements here and there. It also adds a feature originally planned for the 4.0 release.

What's Changed

Puzzle SwappingCreated a puzzle in slot 1 but want to move it to slot 3 instead? Now you can with the new puzzle swap feature. In the Show All Puzzles slide, use the new arrow buttons to sort your puzzles to your liking.

Macro CheckingMany users have told me that Wheel of Fortune for PowerPoint doesn't work. Almost every time, it's because they unknowingly had macros disabled.

To save each of us the trouble, Wheel of Fortune for PowerPoint now checks if macros are enabled. If a user clicks on any of the title slide buttons with macros disabled, a alert box will appear with a link to the macro troubleshooting post.

Refinements

Multiple alignment fixes

Grammar fixes for round explanations

The trashcan in Set Up Puzzles now animates when clicked

Fixes a bug that prevented editing the vowel price or house minimum on the first try

Moving Forward

As I mentioned before, I want to transition this project from PowerPoint to the Web. This means at some point, you will be able to create and play Wheel of Fortune games straight from your Web browser.

As such, Wheel of Fortune for PowerPoint is now in maintenance mode. I will work on bug fixes and refinements if need be, but don't expect any more features until the Web version arrives (which will take a while).

I greatly look forward to the Web release, and I hope you do too. For now, I hope you enjoy this new PowerPoint release.

Monday, June 25, 2018

If Bingo Master Board PLUS, Flashcards for PowerPoint, or Wheel of Fortune for PowerPoint doesn't work for you, chances are that macros and/or active content are disabled. Macros are the code that let these games keep score, randomize values, and much more.

Fortunately, Microsoft has handy guides to help you enable them.

If you use PowerPoint for Windows, use this guide to learn how to enable macros.

With all the security alerts, it's natural to feel cautious about macros. Fortunately, you don't have to trust me because all my VBA (the programming language for macros) is open source.

To view the VBA code:

PowerPoint 2010 or newer (Windows)

Click the File tab -> Options

In the Customize Ribbon section, check Developer.

With the new Developer tab that appears, click Visual Basic.

PowerPoint 2011 for Mac

Click the PowerPoint menu -> Preferences

In the Ribbon section, check Developer under Customize.

With the new Developer tab that appears, click Editor.

PowerPoint 2016 for Mac

Click the Tools menu -> Macro -> Visual Basic Editor

If you don't see the Visual Basic Editor, you may need to update Office with Microsoft AutoUpdate.

Feel free to inspect to your heart's content!

If the PowerPoint game still has problems, and you know for sure macros are enabled, please leave a comment on the game's blog post. Make sure to describe what specifically doesn't work and your version of PowerPoint. If possible, video footage will help me troubleshoot more effectively. Thanks!

Monday, May 14, 2018

johnr from PowerPoint Creative promptly informed me of a mistake in the credits. While Hugh J. Ward launched the modern 75-ball version of Bingo, he did NOT create Bingo altogether.

This meant I had to update Bingo Master Board (PowerPoint) and Bingo Master Board PLUS. As I opened the original Bingo Master Board, something felt special about it. With the text-only Bingo numbers, 4:3 ratio, and the lack of PLUS macros/buttons, the original Bingo Master Board had a nice, simple vibe.

As such, I felt compelled to do more than simply re-credit Hugh J. Ward. Here it is, a Bingo Master Board update after nearly three years!

New to Version 1.7

Visual improvements (again)While the previous version made a considerable effort with visuals, it was far from perfect. Since all faded numbers used the same color, the numbers on the edge of the slide (where the background is darker) were harder to read than the numbers in the middle.

That's why starting with this release, faded numbers are semi-transparent. This means all the numbers look legible regardless where they are! Take a look at this side-by-side comparison.

Did you notice any alignment improvements? Have a look at this (click to enlarge).

Version 1.6 | Version 1.7

Adds the ability to hide/show Bingo numbers

This is a backport from Bingo Master Board PLUS. If you click a Bingo letter, you can toggle the visibility of all of that letter's Bingo numbers. This is useful if you're running, say, a four corners Bingo game.

Unlike Bingo Master Board PLUS, the original Bingo Master Board implements this feature without macros. It makes use of a PowerPoint shape with background fill. (Thanks johnr for introducing this to me.)

Adds Creative Commons License

The original Bingo Master Board now has a license, and I bet you're gonna like it: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.

That's right, I'm using the least restrictive Creative Commons license. You are free to distribute and modify this project for commercial and non-commercial purposes as long as you credit Tim's Slideshow Games for the original work. Have at it!

Adds promotional slide for Bingo Master Board for Web

Re-credits Hugh J. Ward as the creator of 75-ball Bingo

Question for you guys: Do you prefer the text-only Bingo numbers here or the Bingo balls from Bingo Master Board PLUS/Web? I may consider bringing this style to the Web version if there's enough demand.

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Last Updated: August 28, 2018I am pleased to announce the first preview of Bingo Master Board for Web, the successor to
PowerPoint's Bingo Master Board and Bingo Master Board PLUS.What is Bingo Master Board for Web?It's
a port of Bingo Master Board PLUS that's fully usable on your Web
browser. It scales to your browser window, or you can play in
fullscreen. No need to download a file. No need to own paid software. No
need to worry about macro security. It's a win-win for all!Since
we no longer have to deal with macros, we don't need the PLUS moniker
anymore. There will just be one Web version: Bingo Master Board.How does this Web version differ from PowerPoint?The
Web version is capable of everything Bingo Master Board PLUS has, along
with exclusive features that would be convoluted, if not impossible with PowerPoint.
Here's a few:

Mouseover effects. Buttons can now react when you hover your cursor over them.

Keyboard shortcuts. Manage the master board more efficiently.

More to come with future updates!

Bingo Master Board for Web is not yet finished. As such, not every feature from Bingo Master Board PLUS is available yet.Check to TODO list at the bottom of the post to see what I still need to work on.What are you using to make the Web version?Bingo Master Board Web uses HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It used to use CreateJS but was removed as of the August 28 build.Sounds cool? If so, you should give Bingo Master Board for Web a try! While you test, be sure to try out these features:URL Shortcut: Add ?masterboard to the end of the URL to instantly load the master board.Keyboard Shortcuts: Press the space bar to draw Bingo balls. Press the r key to reset the board. Press the x key to toggle the Bingo blocker.I
look forward to hearing what you think! If you find any bugs not in
Known Issues, let me know what it is and what browser you're using.Known Issues

If you refresh the game with control-R on the master board slide, you may lose your Bingo ball save data.

In Safari on 1080p+ displays, if you reset the master board while the blocker is enabled, the G and the O will disappear during the animation.

This is a browser bug and is fixed in the latest Technology Preview.

Chrome also has this bug, but I added a workaround specifically for this browser. You may still trigger the bug if you mash the reset button.

This workaround has a blur side effect, which is why I am only using it for Chrome.

The fullscreen button does not work on the iPad.

This is unfortunately a browser limitation. However, we may get fullscreen support in iOS 12 according to Apple's release notes.

I will not be able to test this until iOS 12 releases.

If fullscreen works for iPad on iOS 12, this bug fixes itself. Otherwise, I will need to hide the fullscreen button specifically for iPad.

Pressing and holding the space bar draws Bingo balls rapidly, which may not be desirable.

TODO

Winning pattern

How to Use section

About/Credits section

I will likely update the game multiple times during the preview phase. Any noteworthy changes will be posted in a separate dev blog post. Alternatively, you can view the GitHub commits.Try Bingo Master Board for Web [WIP]GitHub RepoSupports the latest versions of Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari

Saturday, May 5, 2018

Longtime readers may recall my PowerPoint to Web initiative back in 2013. During this period, I managed to port Escape a Tower and I am Thinking of a Number. Thanks to that platform transition, these projects gained features not possible with PowerPoint, including save data and mobile device support.

Today, I am pleased to announce that I am porting my more-advanced PowerPoint projects to the Web.
My other PowerPoint projects are more than text-based. As such, I lacked to knowledge to port them a few years ago. The good news is that after researching more about HTML5 canvas, I believe I have what it takes to complete the transition.

The first project I will port to HTML5 canvas is Bingo Master Board. Here's a sneak peek of my progress:

As you can see, this looks and acts just like the PowerPoint version. The game scales to fit the browser window, and it can expand to full screen. Just like my previous Web efforts, you can expect new features that would have never been possible with PowerPoint. Mouseover effects, anyone?

Note that Bingo Master Board for Web is based on Bingo Master Board PLUS. Since we won't need to worry about macros anymore, we're back to just one version of the game: Bingo Master Board.

I really look forward to present a working demo to you guys. But given the scale of this project and how busy I am elsewhere, don't expect a release anytime soon. Also, I'm not done with PowerPoint just yet; I still have a few updates previously planned before sunsetting the platform for good.

I wanted to let you guys know about this early because I'm really excited about it. I hope you too look forward to the next era of Tim's Slideshow Games.

Friday, April 27, 2018

It has come to my attention that PowerPoint Arcade was password-protected for editing. Since this game is discontinued, I see no reason why you guys shouldn't be allowed to edit the file. Unfortunately, I forgot what the password was.

Luckily, I found the PowerPoint Arcade file I used for development purposes that has no password. Therefore, I reuploaded the game with this file. Keep in mind this is a .pptx file instead of .ppsx, so you will need to start the slide show manually.

Just to be clear, PowerPoint Arcade is still discontinued. I am only removing the password, that is all. If you ever hoped to tinker with this old project after all these years, today is your lucky day.

Friday, April 6, 2018

Based on user feedback, many of you guys preferred viewing the amount of starred flashcards as a number, rather than a percentage. In other words,

15 total flashcards 4 starred

is preferred to

15 total flashcards 26.7% starred

That's why starting with version 1.1, it is now possible to toggle the starred cards count within Settings. Simply click on the text, and the count will switch between a number and a percentage. The number is shown by default.